I believe in using very simple backdrops so as not to compete with the model. Each picture I create is about the model and little else.
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Vanessa's image illustrates my point.
I like doing head and shoulder portraits with soft light. I use three AlienBees B800 flash units, which give me far more power than I need.I have tried various rf transmitter/ receiver units to fire the strobes but for one reason or another was never happy with any of them. I use a very simple solution.
I have two very small Sunpak flash units, one for each camera I use. I think they have been discontinued but Sunpak 018ST is close enough for my purposes. Any cheap, small and light flash unit with a sensor will do the job.
I tape one white sheet of printer paper over the light head being careful to also cover the sensor in such a way that the light is immediately reflected back to the sensor.
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This ain't pretty but it works very well. Set the flash on auto and fire away. What happens of course is the light, a lot of light hits the sensor causing it to panic and immediately shut down the flash.
The light is enough however, to trigger my AlienBees strobes. I leave a small amount of the flash head uncovered for that little bit of direct frontal light.
I get at least 600 flashes out of the two AA batteries in the flash.
Factor in the DX multiplier and this combination comes very close to a full frame 50mm lens.
I like this combination because the D5000 is much lighter than my D90 and the 35mm lens is extremely light. Yes, I also use the D90 with the AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm zoom. This is a heavy combo for me and I use it less and less.
A typical photo shoot goes for 3 hours. I take about 300 images during this time, of which about 150 - 200 will be good enough to give to the model and to show on Flickr.
The equipment is secondary. I shoot in my living room using the same basic setup time after time, so I don't have to fiddle with the equipment during the shoot.
I go manual exposure all the way, because the cameras can't communicate with my cheap little flash units and strobes. Frequent checking of the image histogram ensures proper exposure.
My wife Lila helps out with the poses and a myriad of tasks that come up with each shoot. When I want to use an accent light, Lila holds the light where I want it to be. She is so good that I don't have to do a lot of repeat shooting to have the light fall in the correct place.
In order to keep the shooting soft and romantic I work roses into every shooting session but I don't use them for every shot.
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Before each and every shoot with a new model I show them my "pose book" and establish the model's comfort level. I also use the book which contains hundreds of images of women in various poses and states of undress. We work out of that book but are not slaves to it. No two sessions are ever alike and no two poses are ever exactly alike.
Every hour of shooting creates about 3 hours in Photoshop. Yes, it's a grind, it's hard work and no play.
However, if the model and I did our jobs right the result will be quite a few very beautiful images.
Click on image for a better view.
Sometimes props do get between the camera and the subject as in this case. Personally, I think the leaves were too large, but that's just me. Lila placed the leaves while I had my back turned. Yes, we preserve the model's privacy as much as possible. I'm looking for smaller leaves for my next shoot.
I think what the photographer does not show is more important than what he does. Sexy is teasing, tantalizing, sensual. Sex is mostly in the mind, so I try to excite the mind more than the eye.
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So where does the sex part come in?
There is'nt any. It's all hard work on the part of everyone and usually the model will be very sore from all the posing. It's not as easy as it looks. Not for the women and not for me, but I LOVE it and will be shooting gorgeous young ladies until they pry the camera from my cold, dead hands.
Hope you enjoyed this post and if you did, please pass the word.
You can find my babe photography at this link:
Click on the "Babes" collection. If you see a bunch of black boxes, change your safety level to "moderate". You can do that on your account page.
My general audience images are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elpasobirdman/
Drop me a line if you find this post interesting.
I really do need the links - so help out if you can.
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